On Tuesday 16 April, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, called on the EU to adopt a large-scale industrial plan as a priority for European Commission’s next term of office, following the European elections.
Speaking at a conference on the future of the EU’s energy and climate policies organised by the College of Europe, Mr Birol went back over what he considered to be Europe’s three major historic mistakes in the energy field.
The first is our excessive dependence on a single country, Russia, for the supply of strategic goods.
“Even if a country is the most innocent there is, you can’t put all your eggs in one basket”, he said.
The second mistake, in his view, is the loss of European leadership in the production of solar technologies.
“More than 85% of the solar panels we use are produced in a single country: China [...] It was Germany, Spain and Italy 25 years ago that started the world solar adventure. Europe was the leader. But after a few years, governments dropped the ball and China took over”, he lamented.
Finally, Mr Birol considers the loss of interest in nuclear energy to be Europe’s third strategic mistake: “Twenty years ago, around 30% of Europe’s electricity was generated by nuclear power, which meant that electricity could be generated around the clock without any problems. But then Europe turned its back on nuclear power, and this share is falling significantly”.
He went on to point out that before the war in Ukraine, the European economic model was based on cheap and abundant Russian energy for its industries. These companies are now faced with much higher prices, which is making it difficult to remain competitive.
He therefore called on the next Commission to draw up a substantial new European industrial plan: “Maybe I’m being a bit self-centred, but that’s my number one priority”.
This plan should “ensure the competitiveness of the industry, prepare the European economy for the future and be in line with our decarbonised energy objectives”, he concluded. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)